Powell inspired by brotherly love

AARON BLANKENSHIP, ThisWeek Community News

Wednesday

Apr 25, 2012 at 12:01 AMApr 26, 2012 at 8:05 PM

Canal Winchester High School sophomore Jocselyn Powell always has looked up to her older brother, Robert, and enjoyed watching him compete in football, basketball and track and field for several years.

Canal Winchester High School sophomore Jocselyn Powell always has looked up to her older brother, Robert, and enjoyed watching him compete in football, basketball and track and field for several years.

Her brother was recruited by several small college football coaches after graduating from Canal Winchester in 2008, but a low GPA and low SAT scores prevented him from playing sports at the next level.

Then, on Oct. 24, 2010, which happened to be Jocselyn's 14th birthday, he was involved in a car accident, which tore the patella tendon in his left knee and ended his dream of playing college football.

Drawing inspiration from her brother, Powell has worked hard to contribute to the Canal Winchester girls track and field team and has developed into one of the program's all-time leading athletes.

Midway through her second varsity season, she already owns program records in the 100 meters (12.4 seconds), 200 (25.48), 100 hurdles (15.15) and 300 hurdles (44.5). She also has a 3.7 GPA.

"After Robert's accident, his knee was torn all the way to the bone and he couldn't walk and he told me that he would have to live his dream through me from now on," Powell said, wiping tears from her eyes as she spoke about her brother. "So I do my best every day for him, because I love him and I want to make him proud. I've listened to Robert and learned from his experiences, and I'm working hard to try to keep my grades up, too."

This season, Powell already has won all four of her events in the same meet on three occasions - March 27 in a dual meet against Lancaster, March 31 in the Newark Invitational and April 14 in the Stallions Invitational at DeSales.

"Jocselyn wins four events in almost every meet ... and she will be one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer, we've ever had come through our program by the time she graduates," coach John Bender said. "She wants to excel and I love how hard she trains. As great of an athlete as she is, she's an even better person. She's modest and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet."

As a seventh grader, Powell began competitive cheerleading and running track for the first time.

She learned how to hurdle from her mother, Tosha, who competed in track at Linden-McKinley.

After breaking several program records in middle school, Powell placed sixth in the 300 hurdles (44.9) in the Division I state meet as a freshman.

"Jocselyn is very technical on the hurdles and her form is almost perfect," Bender said. "She's very supportive of her teammates, both verbally while they compete and by helping teach them to have good form during practices. She's a special person."

Powell improved her hurdle and sprint techniques while training with the Pacesetters Track Club last summer, and she has continued to lower her times in all four events this season.

"I've never learned so much from one team in such a short amount of time," she said. "I learned to snap my trail leg up and over hurdles, because I used to drag it over hurdles, which was slowing me down. I've also started lifting weights to make my legs stronger so I'm not tired before I run the 200 anymore."

Powell is aiming for program-record times in the 400 and 800 as well as a state title in the 100 hurdles or 300 hurdles before she graduates.

But she isn't sure if she's going to compete in track or cheerleading in college, as she helped lead the Canal Winchester competition cheerleading team to a Division II state title and a third-place finish in a national meet a year ago.

"Cheering is my passion, but I love track, too, so I'm not sure which sport I'm going to do in college," she said. "I'm torn because I love them both so much. Who knows, maybe I'll find a way to do both in college."

Powell already has a career path in mind, as she plans to become an obstetric gynecologist.

"I want to deliver babies, because I love kids and I think the birthing process is beautiful," she said. "I already get to work with young kids, because I coach first-, second- and third-graders on speed and hurdle work in my spare time. More than anything, I want to be a good role model for the younger kids who watch me, the same way my big brother has been a good role model for me."

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